Hongzhi Year 18, Sixth Day of the Second Month. Morning.
Sky not yet bright, I was woken by Liu Jin banging on the door.
"Jiang Li! Jiang Li! His Highness looking for you!"
I groggily got up, pushed door open, cold wind gusted in face, whole person instantly awake. Zhu Houzhao standing in courtyard, wearing that gray cloth short jacket, short knife at waist, holding that jujube red horse. Seeing me, mouth corner twitched up.
"Go."
"Where to?"
"See Liu Jian."
I paused. Liu Jian. Hongzhi era Grand Secretariat Chief Grand Secretary. Li Dongyang's teacher. Full court officials, half his students. Last night Xu Pu said "move Liu Jian, is move half court".
"Now?" I asked.
"Now."
He vaulted onto horse, extended hand to me. I held his hand, pulled up onto horse back. Gray horse not brought, today have to ride one horse with him.
"Sit steady."
"Mm."
He kicked horse belly, jujube red horse dashed out. I leaned back, hit his chest. He laughed once, didn't speak.
We arranged to meet Jiang Bin and Qian Ning at east gate. Arriving, two people already there. Jiang Bin riding his big black horse, stick on shoulder, mouth chewing who knows what. Qian Ning riding white horse, fan tucked in sleeve, seeing us, nodded.
Zhu Houzhao reined in horse, didn't move.
"One thing, I never told you."
Jiang Bin and Qian Ning looked at him. I also looked at him—he about to say.
"I not called Zhu Shou."
Silent. Jiang Bin's peanut dropped, rolled to ground, spun twice in morning light, stopped in a puddle of last night's rain.
"Then you called what?" Qian Ning asked.
"Zhu Houzhao."
Qian Ning's fan stopped mid-air. Jiang Bin bent to pick peanut, picked twice didn't pick up, fingers frozen stiff. He simply didn't pick, straightened waist.
"Which Zhu Houzhao?" Qian Ning asked.
"Only one."
Jiang Bin took stick off shoulder, poked ground. "Crown Prince?"
"Mm."
Jiang Bin silent a while. "Oh."
Qian Ning looked at him. "Just this reaction?"
"Else what?" Jiang Bin put stick back on shoulder, mouth corner moved. "He can't fight a bit."
Zhu Houzhao laughed, leaned over from horse back, patted Jiang Bin's stick. "Stronger than you."
"Try?"
"After case, try."
Qian Ning's fan fanned twice, tucked back. "So, we helping Crown Prince investigate case?"
"Mm."
"Then wages should go up?"
Zhu Houzhao took a peanut from sleeve, threw over. Qian Ning caught, looked, stuffed in mouth.
"Fine." he said.
Jiang Bin took stick off shoulder, poked ground. "Go, go fish big fish."
Jujube red horse snorted, like saying "go".
Liu Jian's residence west of Imperial City, bigger than Li Dongyang's, newer than Xu Pu's. Two stone lions at door, bigger than Eastern Palace's. Plaque above gate wrote "Liu Residence" two characters, gold characters, shining bright in morning light.
Zhu Houzhao reined in horse at door, looked a while.
"You wait outside." He dismounted.
"Why?" Jiang Bin asked.
"Because you are brawler, not negotiator."
Jiang Bin looked at stick in hand, didn't refute. Qian Ning opened fan, closed it.
"What about me?"
"You are strategist. Strategist watches wind outside."
Qian Ning thought, felt this arrangement okay, leaned wall stood.
Zhu Houzhao looked at me. "You come in with me."
"Why?" Jiang Bin asked again.
"Because she is doctor. Doctor can see if person sick."
Jiang Bin looked at me, then at stick in hand, didn't speak.
I followed behind Zhu Houzhao, walked to Liu Residence main gate. Walked few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned back to look at me.
"Afraid?"
"Not afraid."
"Really?"
"...A little."
He laughed. "That's enough."
Butler led us into study. Liu Jian already waiting.
He younger than Xu Pu, hair graying, face flesh still firm, not like Xu Pu loose. Wearing a dark blue long gown, material good, collar embroidered with dark pattern. Hand side a cup of tea, still steaming.
Seeing Zhu Houzhao, didn't stand. Just nodded.
"Came?"
"Came." Zhu Houzhao didn't sit.
Liu Jian looked at me. "This that bone-setting palace maid?"
"Is."
"Crown Prince's arm, you treated?"
"Is."
"Fake medicine matter, you investigated out?"
"...Is."
Liu Jian nodded. He picked up teacup, sipped, unhurried, like tasting tea.
"Sit." he said.
Zhu Houzhao didn't sit. He took Xu Pu's letter from sleeve, placed on table.
"This Grand Secretary Xu wrote. You look."
Liu Jian put down teacup, picked up letter, unfolded. He read character by character, read slow. Face expression didn't change, but I saw his fingers slightly tightened—only once.
Finished reading, he folded letter, put back on table.
"Xu Pu wrote?"
"Is."
"He say what else?"
"Said this batch fake medicine, walked three years. Said you know. Said full court officials, half your students."
Liu Jian didn't speak. He stood up, walked to window, pushed open window sash. Courtyard had an old locust tree, exactly same as Li Dongyang's courtyard—branches stretching to sky, bare, like a withered skinny hand.
"Your Highness," he said. "You know, why old minister do these things?"
"Don't know."
"Because court needs money."
Zhu Houzhao didn't speak.
"Hongzhi Year 12, river breached at Zhangqiu, court spent three million taels relief. Hongzhi Year 14, Datong border trouble, military pay added one million five hundred thousand taels. Hongzhi Year 16, Taicang empty, even officials' salaries couldn't be paid." Liu Jian's voice very flat, like reading an account book. "Old minister sits in this position, every day open eyes is money, close eyes still money. Ministry of Revenue warehouse empty, Taicang grain empty."
He turned around, looked at Zhu Houzhao.
"That batch old medicine, returned also thrown away. Refurbished sell back, can save big sum. Old minister knew it was fake, knew eating no use, knew would delay illness. But old minister no way."
"No way?" Zhu Houzhao's voice very flat, but I saw his fingers clenched.
"No way." Liu Jian's voice also very flat. "Border military pay can't cut, river works money can't save. Old minister can only choose—which more important."
I standing beside, suddenly remembered during internship at Northern Medical University, attending teacher said: medical resources never enough, you always choose who save first. But that different. That is no medicine. This is have medicine not give.
I opened mouth, wanted to speak, swallowed back. This not my battlefield. This his.
"So you chose let soldiers die." Zhu Houzhao said.
Liu Jian didn't speak.
"Three years," Zhu Houzhao said. "Ten batches medicine. Four died, thirteen lying down. You know their names?"
Liu Jian silent.
"Chen Er. Hebei person, enlisted last autumn. Leg wound, delayed by fake medicine one month, rotted to bone. Zhang Da, Henan person, took fake medicine, diarrhea nonstop, died of dehydration. Wang Wu, Shandong person, fever, fake medicine couldn't reduce fever, burned into fool. Li Si, Shanxi person, wound infected, fake medicine couldn't suppress, rotted to stomach." Zhu Houzhao named one by one, voice not high, every word like nail hammered into wood. "And one more, I don't know his name. He died, no one recorded his name. But his fingernails were black."
He paused.
"You no way, so let them die. Then them? They have way?"
Liu Jian looked at him. Long time.
Then he smiled. Not polite smile, nor mocking smile—another kind, like person standing cliff edge whole life, finally pushed down by someone.
"Your Highness," he said. "Old minister know, sooner or later have this day."
He took a memorial from drawer, handed Zhu Houzhao.
Zhu Houzhao took it. I noticed memorial edge slightly yellowed, paper somewhat curled—not wrote today, nor yesterday. It already there lay long time, like a person waiting for an answer.
"This old minister wrote. Please Emperor issue decree, strip old minister of all duties, hand to authorities to judge crime."
Zhu Houzhao opened. Inside wrote fake medicine ins and outs, from Henghe Hall to Liu An, from Liu An to Wang De, from Wang De to Wang Chang, from Wang Chang to Zheng Hong, from Zheng Hong to Li Dongyang, from Li Dongyang to himself. Stroke by stroke, clear. Ink on paper some new some old, some characters crossed out, some lines crossed out rewritten. This memorial, not done in one stroke. He wrote long time, changed long time.
"Anyone else?" Zhu Houzhao asked.
"No more."
"Xu Pu said, full court officials, half your students."
"That old minister's students, not old minister's accomplices." Liu Jian looked at him. "They don't know these things."
"You sure?"
"Sure."
Zhu Houzhao folded memorial, tucked in sleeve. He turned around, walked to door, stopped.
His hand pressed on door frame, knuckles white. Didn't turn back.
"Grand Secretary Liu."
"Minister here."
"You write these, want protect them?"
Liu Jian didn't speak.
"You carry yourself, they will be fine?"
Liu Jian still didn't speak.
"You can't carry." Zhu Houzhao pushed door open, walked out.
Sunlight shone in, fell on his back, cast his shadow on ground, very long, all the way stretched to Liu Jian's feet.
I followed behind. Walking to door, I turned back looked. Liu Jian still standing at window, hand holding window sill, knuckles white. That old locust tree's branches creaking in wind, like about to break.
He didn't look at us. He looked out window, like looking at very far place.
Walk out Liu Residence main gate, sunlight正好 (zheng hao) shining on gate plaque, "Liu Residence" two gold characters bright enough to dazzle. I squinted eyes.
Jiang Bin leaning on wall, stick poking ground, mouth chewing peanuts. Qian Ning standing beside him, fan fanning.
"How was it?" Jiang Bin asked.
Zhu Houzhao didn't answer. He vaulted onto horse, extended hand to me. I held his hand, pulled up.
"Go."
"Where to?" I asked.
He didn't answer, kicked horse belly, jujube red horse dashed out. I leaned back, hit his chest. His heartbeat very fast, transmitting through fabric, beat by beat, like drumming.
Jiang Bin and Qian Ning followed behind. Four people riding horses through capital streets, passersby making way. Someone recognized person on jujube red horse—not recognized he is Crown Prince, recognized he rides fast.
"Don't want life!" someone shouted.
Zhu Houzhao didn't hear. Or heard, didn't care.
Riding to palace gate, he reined in horse. Jiang Bin and Qian Ning also reined in.
"Tomorrow," Zhu Houzhao said. "Come again?"
Jiang Bin shouldered stick. "Come."
Qian Ning fan fanned twice. "Wages settled then come."
Zhu Houzhao took a peanut from sleeve, threw over. Qian Ning caught, looked, stuffed in mouth.
"Fine." he said.
Zhu Houzhao dismounted, turned back to look at me. I still on horse back, legs weak, can't get down. He extended hand, I held his hand, jumped down. Landing knee buckled, he held my arm.
"Okay?"
"Okay."
He let go, turned to walk into palace. I followed behind.
Walked few steps, he suddenly stopped.
"Lizi."
"Mm?"
"You say, if person knows what he does will kill people, but still does it. What is he?"
I thought. "Depends what for."
"For court."
I silent a while. Remembered things seen during internship, remembered those patients waiting for medicine in emergency room, remembered attending teacher's expression saying "you always choose who save first".
"That's also murder." I said.
He didn't speak. Continued walking. Moonlight stretched his shadow very long, stretched to my feet. I tucked hand in sleeve, felt that empty porcelain bottle.
He didn't notice.
"Then tomorrow?" I asked.
"What tomorrow?"
"Finished investigating?"
He stopped, turned back to look at me. Moonlight on his face, his eyes very bright.
"Finished investigating." he said. "Tomorrow, go do other things."
"What things?"
He didn't answer, mouth corner twitched up, turned and walked.
I stood in place, watching his back disappear into palace gate. Moonlight stretched his shadow very long, like a person walked very far road, still not reached end.
I tucked hand in sleeve, didn't move.
(End of Chapter 25)